Farming is not just for growing crops, it is for the cultivation...o f human beings! Masanobu Fukuoka More Quotes by Masanobu Fukuoka More Quotes From Masanobu Fukuoka We receive our nourishment from the Mother Earth. So we should put our hands together in an attitude of prayer and say "please" and "thank you" when dealing with nature. Masanobu Fukuoka prayermotherattitude The only sensible approach to disease and insect control, I think, is to grow sturdy crops in a healthy environment. Masanobu Fukuoka healthydiseasethinking Ignorance, hatred and greed are killing nature. Masanobu Fukuoka greedhatredignorance One of the most important discoveries I made in those early years was that to succeed at natural farming, you have to get rid of your expectations. Such "products" of the mind are often incorrect or unrealistic . . . and can lead you to think you've made a mistake if they're not met. Masanobu Fukuoka mistakediscoverythinking My ultimate dream is to sow seeds in the desert. To revegetate the deserts is to sow seed in people's hearts. Masanobu Fukuoka dreamheartpeople Although natural farming - since it can teach people to cultivate a deep understanding of nature - may lead to spiritual insight, it's not strictly a spiritual practice. Masanobu Fukuoka deep-understandingpracticespiritual Left alone, the earth maintains its own fertility, in accordance with the orderly cycle of plant and animal life. Masanobu Fukuoka fertilityearthanimal The simple hearth of the small farm is the true center of our universe. Masanobu Fukuoka farmsuniversesimple Before researchers become researches they should become philosophers. Masanobu Fukuoka philosopherresearchshould The increasing desolation of nature, the exhaustion of resources, the uneasiness and disintegration of the human spirit, all have been brought about by humanity's trying to accomplish something. Masanobu Fukuoka humanityspirittrying When a decision is made to cope with the symptoms of a problem, it is generally assumed that the corrective measures will solve the problem itself. They seldom do. Engineers cannot seem to get this through their heads. These countermeasures are all based on too narrow a definition of what is wrong. Human measures and countermeasures proceed from limited scientific truth and judgment. A true solution can never come about in this way. Masanobu Fukuoka balancedefinitionsdecision Gradually I came to realize that the process of saving the desert of the human heart and revegetating the actual desert is actually the same thing. Masanobu Fukuoka desertsavingheart One thing is all things. To resolve one matter, one must resolve all matters. Changing one thing changes all things. Once I made the decision to sow rice in the fall, I found that I could also stop transplanting, and plowing, and applying chemical fertilizers, and preparing compost, and spraying pesticides. Masanobu Fukuoka plowingdecisionfall I believe that even 'returning-to-nature' and anti pollution activities, no matter how commendable, are not moving toward a genuine solution if they are carried out solely in reaction to the over development of the present age. Masanobu Fukuoka agebelievemoving Modern research divides nature into tiny pieces and conducts tests that conform neither with natural law nor with practical experience. The results are arranged for the convenience of research, not according to the needs of the farmer. Masanobu Fukuoka pieceslawneeds When it is understood that one loses joy and happiness in the attempt to possess them, the essence of natural farming will be realized. The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings. Masanobu Fukuoka essencegoalperfection As we kill nature, we are killing ourselves, and God incarnate as the world as well. Masanobu Fukuoka wellskillingworld Since I turned the fields back to their natural state, I can't say I've had any really difficult problems with insects or disease. Masanobu Fukuoka diseasefieldsproblem We have come to the point at which there is no other way than to bring about a 'movement' not to bring anything about Masanobu Fukuoka movementway Unless people can become natural people, there can be neither natural farming nor natural food. Masanobu Fukuoka farmingnaturalpeople
